Friday May 3 Ag News

NE Beef Council Celebrates May-Beef Month!

Please join Nebraska farmers and ranchers in celebrating and enjoying the high quality beef for which our state is known.  From cattle farmers & ranchers to feed manufacturers and processors, thousands of people play an important role in beef's journey from pasture to plate. In fact, cattle generate $12 billion in total direct and indirect activity in Nebraska’s economy making beef much more than just what’s for dinner.

Please join us in celebrating “Beef Month in Nebraska" this May.

May 3rd - Pac N Save, Seward
Burger Bash Grillout in store parkinglot from 11am - 1pm
See store for special beef sales

May 10th - Imperial Super Foods, Imperial
Burger Bash Grillout in store parkinglot from 11am - 1pm
See store for special beef sales

May 17th - Grocery Kart, Broken Bow
Burger Bash Grillout in store parkinglot from 11am - 1pm
See store for special beef sales

May 24th - Pac N Save, Wayne
Burger Bash Grillout in store parkinglot from 11am - 1pm
See store for special beef sales

May 31st - Boogaart's, Kearney
Burger Bash Grillout in store parkinglot from 11am - 1pm
See store for special beef sales

Nebraska Beef  Facts
-    $12.1 billion impact to Nebraska's Economy
-    20,000 beef cow operations
-    1.88 million head of beef cows
-    The average herd size is 94 head
-    4,570 cattle feeding operations statewide
-    5.1 million cattle fed and marketed per year
-    On average there are 2.3 million head of cattle on feed
-    Only 770 feeding operations are larger than 1,000 head

U.S. Beef Facts
-    757,300 beef cow operations
-    32.6 million head of beef cows
-    The average herd size is 43 head
-    87,160 cattle feeding operations
-    26.2 million cattle fed and marketed per year
-    14.3 million head of cattle on feed
-    The average cattle feeding operation cares for approximately 290 head
-    Cattle and calves total 41% of the $99 billion worth of U.S. livestock and poultry sold
-    Individual or family, family held corporations, and partnerships make up 99% of the U.S. farm ownership

Where Nebraska Stacks up Nationally
1st.... Commercial red meat production, 2011 - 7,163,800,000 lbs; Commercial cattle slaughter, 2011 - 6,869,200 head; Commercial cattle slaughter, 2011, live weight - 9,060,655,000 lbs
2nd....All Cattle and calves, Jan. 1, 2012 - 6,250,000 head; All cattle on feed, Jan. 1, 2012 - 2,650,000 head

The Nebraska Beef Cattle Industry
Its the state’s single largest industry and the engine that powers the state’s economy. The multiplied impact of the $6.5 billion in cattle sales each year is $12.1 billion. Cattle-related employment means income for businesses up and down main street in towns and cities across the state. In short, the beef cattle industry has an unmistakable impact on other economies in Nebraska.

Nebraska is Unique
The importance of cattle feeding to Nebraska’s economy runs deeper than in other states. Nearly 5 million head are finished and marketed in Nebraska, a state with a population of 1.8 million residents. Texas markets a third more cattle than Nebraska, but it has a population of 25.6 million residents over 14 times larger. Iowa markets less than 2 million cattle and has 1.2 million more residents than Nebraska. This means such states depend on other industries. Their standard of living isn’t nearly as dependent on cattle feeding as Nebraska’s.

Nebraska has the Top Cow Counties in the Nation
Nebraska has the top three beef cow counties in the U.S., including the nation’s No. 1 cow county – Cherry County, with nearly 166,000 cows. Custer County is No. 2 (100,000) and Holt County is No. 3 (99,000). Also among the top counties in the nation is Lincoln County at No. 12 (69,000).

Four Times as many Cattle as People
January 2012 figures illustrate that Nebraska continues to have far more cattle than people. Cattle outnumber Nebraskans nearly 4 to 1. Cows number 1.94 million, versus Nebraska residents who number just 1.8 million. The cows and the 4.7 million head that are annually fed in Nebraska total nearly 6.64 million cattle.

Why so much Beef in Nebraska?
Nebraska has a unique mix of natural resources. Cattle turn grass from 24 million acres of rangeland and pasture, more than one half of Nebraska’s land mass, into protein and many other products for humans. The land grazed by cattle allows more people to be fed than would otherwise be possible. More than one billion bushels of corn are produced here each year, 40% of which is fed to livestock in the state. Cattle producing families, who make their living from the land, have a strong incentive to protect their animals and the environment.



Ask Your Senators to Vote for Reasonable Fuel Storage Rules for Farmers

When the Senate takes up consideration of the Water Resources Development Act next week, Sens. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), and Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) plan to offer an amendment that would alleviate the costly regulatory burden on farmers resulting from the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) Rule. Their amendment would raise the on-farm fuel storage threshold requiring spill containment facilities to a more realistic and practical level. Their amendment also would allow more farms to self-certify rather than being forced to hire independent engineers.    

The American Soybean Association strongly supports their amendment and urges ASA members to contact their senators to urge them to vote in favor of the amendment when it is offered.

The EPA’s current rule requires farmers that have fuel/oil storage facilities with a capacity of over 1,320 gallons to construct a containment facility, like a dike or a basin, which must retain 110 percent of the fuel in the container. These mandated infrastructure improvements, along with the necessary inspection and certification by a specially licensed Professional Engineer, will cost many farmers tens of thousands of dollars.

The amendment, also known as the Farmers Undertake Environmental Land Stewardship Act, or FUELS Act, would modify the EPA’s SPCC rule to raise the exemption levels for fuel storage capacity to better reflect the spill risk and financial resources of farms. The amendment would raise the threshold requiring special containment facilities from 1,320 gallons of fuel/oil storage 10,000 gallons. The proposal would also place a greater degree of responsibility on farmers and ranchers to self-certify compliance if their oil storage facilities exceed the exemption level. If the amount exceeds 42,000 gallons, a professional engineer still would certify the SPCC plans for a farm. The amendment provides another layer of protection by requiring the producer to be able to demonstrate that he or she has no history of oil spills, or to fully comply with the SPCC regulations.

Currently, farmers are expected to have SPCC plans in place by May 10 for fuel/oil storage totaling more than 1,320 gallons; however, EPA is prevented from taking any enforcement measures until the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

ASA Reinforces Support for Crop Insurance, Opposes Means Testing
ASA joined a broad coalition of other farm groups this week in a letter to Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R. Miss.) reiterating support for strong crop insurance provisions in a new farm bill, and oppositions to certain provisions that would limit its effectiveness, specifically any form of means testing as a qualification for purchase.

"Agriculture is only beginning to emerge from one of the most significant droughts in our nation’s history. From the fields we hear that crop insurance played a critical role in survival and a key reason that farmers will return to producing food, fiber, feed and fuel this year," wrote the groups. "Limiting crop insurance support to producers of a certain size creates barriers to participation for producers trying to obtain this risk management protection and impacts the financial health of the agricultural community."

"As with other lines of insurance, crop insurance requires a broad pool of participants to function properly," continued the groups. "Arbitrarily assigning a means test for support will impact the pool of participants, both in the near term and longer term… Means testing unfairly discriminates against full-time farms and those producing higher value crops, such as specialty crops."

The groups concluded the letter by highlighting the potential long-range fiscal ramifications of means testing, saying, "Making crop insurance protection unaffordable would cause producers to reduce their program participation, resulting in a higher risk pool of insured producers, higher loss ratios over time and increased premium rates for those that remain in the program. Limiting crop insurance protection would also yield the unintended consequence of increased calls for ad hoc, off-budget disaster assistance, which were not heard during the devastating 2012 crop production year."



Northeast Nebraska RC&D Receives Grant from Nebraska Environmental Trust

The Northeast Nebraska Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Council announced today that it will receive $24,733 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for the “Integrated Management of Noxious Weeds in Biologically Sensitive Areas” project.  The Trust Board announced funding for the project at its meeting on April 4, 2013 in Lincoln.  This is the second year of award with a potential for 3rd year funding totaling $24,134.  The project is one of the 134 projects receiving $24,247,260 in grant awards from the Nebraska Environmental Trust this year.  Of these, 87 were new applications and 47 are carry-over.

Invasive species are cited frequently as significant threats to biological diversity in Nebraska’s Natural Legacy Project planning document (NNLP). To address issues with invasive species, NNLP  recommended development of collaborative conservation efforts to seek effective control measures, increase awareness of biological diversity, and to implement strategies that address specific issues in biologically unique landscapes (BUL’s) identified in the plan. One such group is the Northeast Nebraska Weed Management Area (NNWMA) which was established in 2004.   NNWMA is composed of a diverse group of partners that cover counties and 4,610,212 acres of private, public, and tribal land.

The  BUL’s include prairies that contain federally threatened Western Prairie Fringed Orchid and state listed Small White Lady Slipper Orchid, as well as habitats that are home to 34 other Tier 1 plant, mussel, fish, insect, bird, and mammal species. Historic flooding has occurred on 3 major river systems during the last several years, likely creating habitat that will be conducive for noxious weed growth.

In 2013, NNWMA will conduct aerial mapping surveys, acquire biological control agents (insects) to control noxious weeds on ecologically sensitive sites, and conduct annual education and outreach tours and workshops. Releases will be prioritized and targeted at places where herbicide use is not desired (i.e. high diversity grasslands, wetland/riverine habitats, rangeland with organic designations etc.). Targeted plants are Purple loosestrife, Leafy spurge, Saltcedar, and non-native Phragmites. Appropriate insects will be acquired for purple loosestrife and leafy spurge. Releases will occur in a variety of locations within the NNWMA over 2 more years and will be marked using GPS equipment.   



Nebraska Sends Republican River Water Downstream After Kansas Rejects Deal to Aid Its Water Users

Water is being released to Kansas from Harlan County Reservoir as part of Nebraska’s ongoing efforts to comply with the three-state Republican River Compact. This action came after Kansas ultimately could not agree on a plan that would have allowed Kansas water users access to this water during future irrigation seasons.

“It was my hope that the State of Kansas and the Bureau of Reclamation could have worked out a plan over the past four months that would have benefitted basin water users by making this water available to them without compromising Nebraska’s ability to comply with the Compact. This did not happen,” Nebraska Department of Natural Resources Director Brian Dunnigan said.

At the beginning of this year Department of Natural Resources officials determined that additional water would need to flow into Kansas for compliance with the Compact. Kansas had recently expressed interest in having the water that is now being released from Harlan County Lake to instead be retained so it could be used next year and possibly in 2015. Nebraska officials are agreeable to doing so, as long as Kansas will agree to hold Nebraska harmless for any computed shortfall that results from strict application of compact accounting.

Nebraska’s compliance efforts are based on the proactive Integrated Management Plans that were jointly adopted in 2010 and 2011 by the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources and the three Republican River Basin Natural Resources Districts. The primary actions taken thus far to address the forecasted shortfall for 2013 have been the implementation of activities by the Natural Resources Districts to reduce water consumption and increase streamflow.

These actions by the NRDs have been coupled with actions by the Department of Natural Resources to ensure that this water is made available to Kansas. To carry out the Department of Natural Resources efforts a “compact call” was placed on surface water in the Basin at the beginning of the year. This call has restricted surface water users and irrigation districts in Nebraska from storing or diverting streamflows in the Republican Basin. “It is unfortunate that these actions are necessary, but when these plans were being developed three years ago everyone anticipated dry years and that this day would likely come. I believe that Nebraska put a very reasonable solution on the table for the state of Kansas that would likely have benefited all water users in the basin, but Kansas appears to be much more concerned about the strict accounting result for 2013, so we are left with no other options but to release the water so that the accounting books will balance. The risk of non-compliance with the Compact is too great for Nebraska to wait until the end of the year to take these actions,” said Director Dunnigan.

By taking these actions it is expected that compliance with the Compact will be achieved for the sixth straight year.

The release of approximately 20,000 acre-feet of water from Harlan County Lake that began Wednesday, May 1st, is expected to take approximately fifteen days.



61 Chop House Grille Crowned Iowa's Best Burger

The "crown" for Iowa's Best Burger in 2013 goes to the 61 Chop House Grille in Mediapolis, where they serve the Angus Black Crown Burger, a hit whether you are looking for "juicy and flavorful" beef or have a fun upscale burger in mind.

The Angus Black Crown Burger was specifically created to enter this year's Iowa Best Burger contest, say chef Terry Reis and his wife Lori Denney. Iowa's Best Burger starts with a fresh 8-ounce CAB (Certified Angus Beef) patty that is char-broiled to medium. The other ingredients combine to show off the distinctive beef flavor, Reis says. "I really thought about the simplicity of this burger as I developed the recipe."

While you might think the additions to the burger contradict that statement, when you sink your teeth into the sandwich, you know we are talking beef first and foremost. Other burger ingredients include a made-from-scratch beer cheese sauce, a slice of pepper Colby Jack cheese, and thick-sliced applewood smoked bacon, all served on a buttery egg bun. No lettuce, tomato or pickles are needed for this hamburger.

This was not Reis' first foray into developing a burger he hoped would catch the judges' eyes and taste buds. In 2011, 61 Chop House Grille also reached the Top Ten designation with 'The Barn Burger,' which is layered with Swiss and American cheeses, a secret "barn sauce," and topped with a haystack of home-made onion straws. The menu prominently features this year's winner, along with the 2011 entry and four other burger variations. With one side, all the burgers range in price from $6.95 to $8.95.

Denney, who manages the marketing for the restaurant says "Being involved in Iowa's Best Burger contest helps us generate activity here." The 2011 contest increased their hamburger sales by 40% and helped identify them as a destination restaurant in a town with a population of 1,600. They regularly draw customers from the Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids, Mt. Pleasant and Washington.

That's just the kind of result that the Iowa Beef Industry Council wanted when it started the contest, says Michelle Baumhover, IBIC director of consumer marketing. "One thing we wanted to do is drive more beef-eating consumers to restaurants from February to April, which is typically a slow time of year for restaurants," she said. "This helps our partners--the restaurants--in selling more beef, which is what the beef checkoff is all about."

This is the fourth year of the Iowa Best Burger contest. During this year's contest, more than 6,320 nominations were received. Those nominations named 349 Iowa restaurants in 170 Iowa communities.

The other Top 10 nominees were (alphabetically): Ankeny Diner, Ankeny; B&B Grocery, Meat & Deli, Des Moines; Elm's Club, Creston; First Street Grille, Keosauqua; JB's Bar & Grill, Marcus; Rosco's, Norwalk; Sam's Sodas and Sandwiches, Carroll; The Ritz, Arnold's Park; and Zombie Burger, Des Moines.

The Top Ten restaurants were those with the most nominations. They were then each evaluated by a secret panel of judges who rated the hamburgers based on taste, appearance, and proper serving temperature.



Informa Lowers Wheat Output Forecast

Closely watched crop forecaster Informa Economics Inc. on Wednesday projected U.S. winter wheat output of 1.631 billion bushels this year, down 1% or 14 million bushels from last year, traders said.  Informa forecast hard red winter wheat output of 903 millions bushels, down 101 million bushels on the year, and soft red winter wheat production of 506 million bushels, up 86 million bushels on the year, traders said.

Informa also raised its outlook for corn production in Brazil and Argentina. Informa raised its projection for Brazil's corn output 350,000 metric tons to 71.95 million tons, and its projection for Argentina's corn output 300,000 tons to 25.3 million tons, traders said.  Informa cut its forecast for Brazil's soybean output 1.25 million tons to 83.25 million tons, but raised its forecast for Argentina's soy output 1 million tons to 52 million tons, traders said.

The USDA on April 10 will update its crop production and demand estimates for the U.S. and the world.



Pork Checkoff Offers Pork Management Conference in June

The Pork Checkoff is offering the 2013 Pork Management Conference,Your Pork Industry Investment, June 18 to 21 in Denver. The conference brings together industry experts to speak about current business trends and challenges, helping pork producers gain important insight and financial sophistication they can use to help manage through tough economic times.

"The conference combines up-to-date information on the business of pork production with opportunities to interact with knowledgeable financial and business professionals who are dedicated to helping pork producers succeed," said David Ray, chair of the Checkoff's Producer and State Services Committee and a pork producer from Edenton, N.C.

In addition to the general sessions on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, two concurrent sessions are planned for Thursday. Topics include the Affordable Care Act, the use of alternative feeds, updates on accounting practices for pork producers, a case study on margin management, PRRS strategies and the economics of sow housing.

The registration fee for the conference is $395 per person now and $435 per person after May 24. The first 10 pork producers who have not attended in the past two years will receive a $300 discount on registration, courtesy of AgStar Financial Services.  A registration form and a detailed list of events are available at pork.org.



Costco Promotion Jump-starts Pork Sales

There’s an art to getting the most out of your food budget with meat purchases, and Costco made it easier this year with an unbeatable $4 coupon on boneless pork loin chops and roasts.

“We start with the highest quality pork that’s fresh, never frozen,” said Scott Alleger, the pork buyer for Costco, the second largest retailer in the United States, based on worldwide sales, and the largest warehouse membership club in the United States. “Then we partner with the Pork Checkoff to provide our members with samples, savings and cooking information, so it’s a great combination.”

In January, Costco featured boneless pork loin chops, boneless pork loin roasts and pork recipes in the Costco Connection, which is mailed monthly and also is available for members to pick up at their local Costco warehouse. The Costco Connection, which boasts a circulation of more than 8.6 million, reaches an even broader audience since it’s available online at Costco.com.

The eye-catching magazine feature was supported by weekly in-store pork sampling opportunities, and the results were impressive.

“Our January sales of boneless pork loin chops and roasts were four times our monthly average,” said Alleger, who noted that Costco has 622 total warehouses (including 449 in the United States) and 69.1 million cardholders. “We were also able to work with several of the state pork boards to further drive sales.”

Partnership Grows Stronger
This year marked the fourth time that Costco has offered a pork coupon during this time frame, noted Melissa Laesch, national retail marketing manager for the Pork Checkoff.

“This is one of the largest meat promotions in Costco’s history, and it came at a time when demand for pork typically slows down,” said Laesch, who added that Costco’s coupon redemption rates run well above the average retailer’s coupon redemption rates.

Costco looks forward to partnering with the Pork Checkoff on future pork promotions, Alleger said.

“The professionals at the Pork Checkoff are great to work with. They listen to our ideas and they help us continue to offer exceptional value to our members,” Alleger said. “Together, we’ve been able to drive sales on pork at times where it’s not normally a feature item.”



FDA Seeks Comments on Changes to Flavored Milk Labels

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) wants to hear from consumers, industry and other stakeholders about a citizen petition submitted by two dairy groups to change labeling rules for flavored milk products sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners.

Currently, FDA's standard of identity regulations require that flavored milk products like chocolate milk that are sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners include a nutrient content claim as part of the product name on the label. For example, the replacement of nutritive sweeteners with non-nutritive sweeteners in chocolate milk would reduce the product’s calorie count. Because of the replacement, such a product could be called “reduced calorie chocolate milk.”

In addition, FDA regulations require that the specific name of the non-nutritive sweetener must be included in the list of ingredients. The petition, which was submitted by the International Dairy Foods Association and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF), asks FDA to amend the current standard of identity for milk to allow flavored milk products such as chocolate milk sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners to not have to include a nutrient content claim in the products' name. If the petition were granted, chocolate milk products sweetened with non-nutritive sweeteners could be named 'chocolate milk' without any additional nutrient content claim. However, the non-nutritive sweetener would still be required to be included in the ingredient list on the label. The petition also seeks similar changes for 17 additional dairy products.

On Feb. 20, FDA published in the Federal Register a request for data and comments on the IDFA's and NMPF's petition.

To help consumers and other stakeholders understand details of the petition submitted by the IDFA and NMPF, FDA has posted a Consumer Update on the issue. FDA encourages consumers, industry and other stakeholders and interested persons to file comments on the petition with the agency.



New Yeast Strain Could Lower Cellulosic Ethanol Costs

A new strain of yeast that could help streamline cellulosic ethanol costs and production has been developed by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers. This work, which supports the USDA priority of developing new sources of bioenergy, was conducted by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists at the agency's National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Ill. ARS is USDA's chief intramural scientific research agency.

ARS molecular biologist Zonglin Lewis Liu and his colleagues determined that this yeast strain can break down and ferment the sugars in corn cobs left behind after the compound xylose--which is sometimes used for industrial activities--has been extracted. The new strain of yeast, Clavispora NRRL Y-50464 (Y-50464), can tolerate cob-derived compounds that interfere with yeast growth and fermentation rates.

It is able to grow rapidly at 98.6 °F, so it thrives at the higher temperatures needed to optimize simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) rates. SSF is a one-step process in cellulosic ethanol production that combines releasing and fermenting feedstock sugars.

The researchers compared how quickly Y-50464 and another yeast strain could release and ferment the sugar in corn cob residues after the xylose had been extracted. The new yeast strain was able to start consuming the residue at a steady rate 24 hours after the test began. The comparison yeast didn't grow at all under the same conditions.

The scientists added the enzymes cellulase and beta-glucosidase, which are often used to break down residues and extract sugars, and observed that Y-50464 reached its peak ethanol production rate of 25.7 grams per liter 5 days after the experiment began. But the yeast actually produced more ethanol, 26.6 grams per liter in 5 days, without the addition of beta-glucosidase.

Testing by Liu's group confirmed that Y-50464 contains beta-glucosidase, which means that using this yeast for cellulosic ethanol production would eliminate the need to include the cost of an additional enzyme to the process. Liu will continue exploring options for combining the desirable characteristics of Y-50464 with additional enzymes to further improve bioprocessing for advanced biofuels production.